Privacy Policy

AblohNews Privacy Policy

 

Effective Date: January 1, 2026.  This Privacy Policy explains how AblohNews (the “App”) collects, uses, and shares your personal information. AblohNews is a global African news app, and we comply with applicable data protection laws (for example, the EU’s GDPR and other international regulations ).  Apple’s App Store and Google Play both require that apps have a privacy policy disclosing how user data is handled , so we provide this notice to ensure transparency and trust.


 

Information We Collect

 


We collect the following information from you:

 

  • Account Information: When you sign up (via email/password or Sign in with Apple), we collect your email address and any name you provide.  We may also store your chosen username and profile details (display name, biography) and the profile photo you upload.  This is similar to what many apps collect at registration .

  • User-Generated Content: If you upload content (videos or news articles), we store the titles, descriptions, thumbnails, and the content itself.  This content is considered your personal data because it can identify you as the author.

  • Preferences and Usage: We record your selected content preferences (interests and countries) and any bookmarks or “likes” you save.  This data is stored on your device and in our system to personalize your experience.  We also track your in-app activity (e.g. which articles or videos you view and for how long) so we can tailor news recommendations to your interests.  Many apps use this engagement data to improve personalization, as one example privacy policy notes using data “to deliver and improve our products and services and your overall user experience” .

  • Newsletter Subscription: If you opt into our email newsletter, we collect your email address for that purpose.  You can unsubscribe at any time.

  • Analytics Data: Our app and the third-party services we use may automatically collect technical data such as IP addresses, device identifiers (e.g. mobile advertising IDs), operating system, and log data (e.g. app version, crash logs).  For example, Google’s AdMob SDK automatically collects IP addresses and Android advertising identifiers to serve ads .  We may also use web analytics (cookies or similar) in any embedded web views to improve our app.  In general, we treat this information in accordance with NewsAPI’s policy: “Cookies and Usage Data” may be collected to analyze usage .

 


Cookies and Similar Technologies:  AblohNews is primarily a mobile app, not a website, so we do not use browser cookies in the usual sense.  However, we or our service providers may use local storage or device identifiers for analytics and functionality.  For example, NewsAPI (which we use for news content) employs Google Analytics for traffic monitoring .  You can disable personalized advertising by adjusting your device’s privacy settings (Android’s Reset Advertising ID or iOS’s Limit Ad Tracking).


 

How We Use Your Information

 


We use your data to operate and improve AblohNews and to provide you with news content and services.  Specifically:

 

  • Providing the Service: We use your account details to create and manage your account, display your profile, and enable features like uploading content or subscribing.

  • Personalization: Your content preferences and engagement history are used to personalize your news feed and recommendations.  For instance, we may show articles or videos based on the interests you selected.  This helps ensure that the news you see is relevant to you.

  • Communication: We may use your email to send you newsletters (if you subscribed), important app updates, or responses to your support inquiries. We do not send you marketing emails unless you opted in.

  • Subscriptions and Billing: If you purchase a subscription, we use your account and purchase information (e.g. device information and purchase receipts) to activate and manage your subscription.  Our subscription service provider (RevenueCat) processes this information on our behalf .

  • Advertising: To keep the app free, we display ads via Google AdMob.  We share relevant user and device data with AdMob to serve personalized ads.  AdMob’s SDK collects data like your IP address and advertising ID (Android ID or IDFA on iOS) .  Google states that all data transmitted by the Mobile Ads SDK is encrypted in transit .  You can opt out of interest-based ads by using system settings (e.g. “Opt Out of Ads Personalization” on Android or the AppTrackingTransparency prompt on iOS).

  • Analytics & Improvement: We analyze anonymized usage data to improve the app’s functionality, performance, and content.  For example, one app’s policy explains such usage as needed “to allow you to participate in interactive features” and to “improve our products and services” .  We use these analytics internally and do not share raw personal usage data publicly.

 

We will not use your personal information for any purposes other than those described here without your consent, except as required by law.

 

Third-Party Services and Data Sharing

 


We use trusted third-party services to provide core features of AblohNews.  These services may receive or process data as follows:

 

  • Google AdMob (Advertising): AdMob serves banner, native, and interstitial ads in the app.  The Google Mobile Ads SDK will automatically collect information such as your device’s IP address, user interactions with ads, and device/account identifiers (e.g. advertising ID) .  This data is used by Google to serve and personalize ads, and it is encrypted when transmitted .  We do not share your name or email with AdMob, only the advertising identifiers and engagement data needed for ad serving.  (Google’s behavioral advertising policies require that our privacy policy disclose this data use .)

  • Firebase Authentication: We use Firebase Auth (by Google) to handle user sign-in.  Firebase stores your basic account info (email, display name) to authenticate you.  Google’s APIs Terms require developers to maintain a privacy policy when using Firebase .  We do not share your Firebase credentials with anyone else.  Firebase may collect usage data for its own analytics (see Google’s privacy policyAttachment.png for details).

  • Sign in with Apple: If you sign in via Apple, Apple shares your name and (if you choose) a hidden relay email with us.  We use that information only for your account and do not pass it to other services.  You can revoke Apple sign-in from your device settings at any time.

  • RevenueCat (Subscriptions): We use RevenueCat to manage our auto-renewable subscriptions.  According to RevenueCat’s privacy policy, it processes end-user technical information (device type, OS version) and transaction information (purchase tokens or receipts) to fulfill subscription services .  You can review RevenueCat’s policies on their website.  We do not sell or use your purchase history for any purpose other than managing your subscription.

  • OpenAI API (Akua Chat): The “Akua” AI chat feature is powered by OpenAI’s API.  When you interact with Akua, your chat messages are sent to OpenAI’s servers.  OpenAI’s policy states that data you send via the API is not used to train or improve their models (it is only used to generate the immediate response).  OpenAI may retain logs of your input for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring , but it is not used for ads or analytics beyond that.  We encourage users to avoid sharing sensitive personal information in the chat.

  • YouTube Data API: We fetch video content using the YouTube Data API.  We only retrieve public video metadata (title, description, thumbnails) and do not obtain any personal viewer data from YouTube.  YouTube/Google may collect data under their own policies when you play a video.

  • NewsAPI: We use NewsAPI (newsapi.org) to pull news articles from various sources.  NewsAPI’s service may collect cookies and usage analytics from the app’s API requests , but this does not include your personal information.  We do not give NewsAPI any personal data about our users — only the API query parameters needed to fetch news.  According to NewsAPI’s privacy policy, they use Google Analytics for monitoring and may collect IP addresses and usage data for analytics purposes .

 


We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties.  We only share information with third parties as necessary to provide the services above, or to comply with law (e.g. in response to a legal subpoena or law enforcement request). We may also share aggregated or anonymized usage statistics with partners or researchers, but these statistics cannot be used to identify you.


 

Data Security

 


We take reasonable measures to protect your data.  This includes using industry-standard encryption (HTTPS/TLS) for data in transit, and secure servers or cloud services for data at rest.  For example, Google’s Mobile Ads SDK encrypts data in transit .  However, no system is perfectly secure.  As one privacy guideline notes, while we strive to use “reasonable safeguards” (such as encryption) to protect data, we cannot guarantee 100% security .  You can help keep your data safe by keeping your login credentials confidential and logging out when finished.


 

Your Rights

 


Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights regarding your personal data.  For example, the EU’s GDPR gives you the right to access, correct, or delete your personal information .  Similarly, many privacy laws and best practices (such as those outlined by NewsAPI) state that users can inquire about their data and request updates or removal .  In line with these principles, you may:

 

  • Access or Correct Your Data: You can view and edit your profile information (username, bio, etc.) within the app at any time.

  • Delete Your Account: You can request that we permanently delete your account and personal data by contacting us.  We will honor valid requests to remove your information, except we may retain certain data if required by law or for fraud prevention.

  • Unsubscribe from Communications: If you subscribed to our newsletter, you can opt out by following the “unsubscribe” link in any email, or by contacting us.  We will stop sending marketing communications to you if you unsubscribe.

  • Opt-Out of Data Collection: You can disable personalized ads in your device settings (Android or iOS), which will limit ad tracking by networks like AdMob.  On iOS 14.5+ devices, AblohNews will request permission via the AppTrackingTransparency framework before collecting the IDFA for advertising.

 


To exercise any of these rights or ask questions about your data, please contact us at the address below.


 

Children’s Privacy

 


AblohNews is not directed to children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.  We do not allow users under 13 to register.  This is in keeping with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires parental consent for apps that collect data from children under 13 .  If a parent believes their child has submitted information to us, please contact us to have it removed.


 

Changes to This Privacy Policy

 


We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time (for example, if we add new features or services).  We will notify you of material changes by posting the new policy here with an updated “Effective Date,” and, if appropriate, by sending you an in-app notice or email.  Significant changes will be announced prominently, as recommended by industry practice .  Your continued use of AblohNews after those changes become effective will mean you agree to the updated policy.

 

Contact Us

 

If you have any questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us at: support@ablohnews.com. We will respond to your inquiries or requests in accordance with applicable law.

By using AblohNews, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this Privacy Policy.